As the Philippines celebrates the National Women’s Month, the Department of Science and Technology Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD) is opening doors to support women entrepreneurs access technology solutions for their businesses.

Through the Women-Helping-Women: Innovating Social Enterprises or WHWise Program, DOST-PCIEERD said that this is a public-private partnership initiative that brings together government agencies and private organizations to seek out and prepare women-led social enterprises for growth, scalability, and subsequent venture capital funding. More importantly, The DOST-PCIEERD shall connect these women entrepreneurs to the science community and provide access to technology assistance so even the most rural women can be part of the global economy.

The WHWise Program offers a suite of services including early-stage funding, training, skills development, mentorship, and business incubation.

DOST PCIEERD Executive Director Dr. Enrico Paringit expressed optimism that the program can help Filipina entrepreneurs access available opportunities that can empower their businesses.

"As leader and partner in enabling innovations, we hope this program can encourage our women entrepreneurs to innovate and utilize available technologies that can maximize the potentials of their businesses. This is a call for women in technology to work with women in social enterprises to spawn innovation. Women can indeed make a change in our society” he said.

Paringit said the program is open to all women-led social enterprises across the country and encourage women entrepreneurs in the regions to fully participate. The DOST-PCIEERD is also open to partnerships with private organizations focusing on women entrepreneurs that are willing to lend a hand to further help the grantees of this program.

A detailed capsule (or full-blown) proposal must be submitted to DOST-PCIEERD through the DPMIS portal, www://dpmis.dost.gov.ph,  from June 1 to 30, 2021 but Call Conferences shall be held in April and May to explain the proposal format, mechanics and other requirements related to the grant. Schedules of Call Conferences for the WHWise Program shall be announced in the DOST-PCIEERD fb page.

Requirements for the proposal include the following:

• Letter of Intent and Endorsement from the head of the institution addressed to: 
  • DR. ENRICO C. PARINGIT 
  • Executive Director 
  • Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD) 
  • Department of Science and Technology (DOST) 
  • 4^th and 5^th Level, Science Heritage Building, DOST Compound, Gen. Santos Ave., Bicutan, Taguig City 1631 

• Detailed DOST-GIA Proposal Format through the DPMIS
• Supplementary Files uploaded:
  • Scientific Basis/Theoretical Framework
  • Workplan
  • Gender and Development Score
  • Details of Line-Item Budget
  • Risk Management Plan
  • Curriculum Vitae of Proponent/Project Leader

 

 

New data science research and development projects that enable good governance will soon be implemented to improve operations of national government agencies (NGAs) and local government units (LGUs) through the support of the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD).

Funded under the Good Governance through Data Science and Decision Support System (GODDESS) Program, these projects are geared towards addressing the gap in the country’s workforce for data scientists that enables and strengthens the government to adapt data-driven governance and evidence-based management.

DOST-PCIEERD Executive Director Dr. Enrico Paringit said the GODDESS program is aimed at utilizing data to create innovations in running government and serving the people.

“As a leader and partner in enabling innovations, we support solutions and approaches that move towards data-driven decision making and smart governance,” he said.

The seven new data science projects under the GODDESS Program are from the Father Saturnino Urios University (FSUU), Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), Isabela State University (ISU), Iloilo Science and Technology University (ISAT-U), Urdaneta City University (UCU), Lyceum-Northwestern University (L-NU), Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (DMMMSU), and the Pangasinan State University (PSU).

Researchers from FSUU will be conducting the project "Development of Data Analytics and Information System: Support on Social Welfare Services for Senior Citizens of Butuan City. This is an initiative to discover new knowledge using the Knowledge Discovery to Data Base (KDD) model and to develop information system and data analytics that will aid in the formulation of policies, projects and programs for effective delivery of services to senior citizens in the city.

The PhilRice Data Analytics Initiative (RiceLytics) of the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) intends to harness the power of data analytics to enhance baselining and forecasting of the status of the rice farmers and the rice industry. The project will develop an online analytics dashboard that can be accessed by the public especially the decision and policy making bodies at different government levels for decision and policy formulation.

ISU will be implementing the project Optimization of a Decision Support System for Effective E-governance (ODeSSEE) on pre-emptive evacuation for flood disaster amidst COVID-19 in the Cagayan Valley. This aims to apply data-driven process in generating safe and alternative evacuation areas for flood disaster while keeping the COVID-19 quarantine facilities and individuals uncompromised to prevent spread of the virus by combining profiling features of Health Guard PH and zoning monitored by Office of Civil Defense Region 2 (OCDR2).

ISAT-U is working towards the development of the Iloilo Province Employment Portal and Services (IPEPS) using data analytics. This will be a dynamic web-based application that has six (6) components: Job Seekers Registry, Employers Registry module, Employment registry module, Training registry module, Academe registry module, and Students’ registry module.

UCU researchers will be doing the project “Development of an automated collection system for trading hubs or bagsakan market”. They will create a cashless and contactless payment system with the use of mixed technologies such as Radio Frequency Identification and QR Code payment system.

L-NU aims to develop a smart garbage collection and monitoring system for Dagupan City. The system will generate necessary data where analytics can be applied to yield information essential for evidence-based decision making by the LGU to address its solid waste management needs.

DMMMSU is working on a vision-based traffic monitoring system for San Fernando, La Union. It will have a prescriptive navigation software based on real-time traffic data and will also analyze existing policy for traffic control.

PSU will develop the Hundred Islands National Park Management System that has a real-time motorized banca geolocation as an implementation of smart tourism.

Paringit said DOST PCIEERD will be relentless in pursuing new projects on data science to aid government in managing its data needs and craft data driven decisions.

“Through these projects, we will enable the development of appropriate capabilities, systems and technologies that can be adapted and used by national government agencies and local government units, specifically on urban mobility, energy management, e-governance and citizen services, waste management, and water management,” he added.

Tomato field in Brgy. San Juan, Botolan, part of the project site

 

Researchers from the Central Luzon State University has helped farmers from nine (9) lahar-laden barangays in Zambales find suitable crops for their land through research and development.

Funded by DOST-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD), the project aims to help in the rehabilitation of areas affected by Mt. Pinatubo in Zambales through science and technology based agricultural production technologies that enhance the productivity of the lahar-laden areas.

The research team assisted the improvement of four barangays in Botolan, Zambales, two barangays in Castillejos, Zambales, and three barangays in San Marcelino, Zambales, all affected by the Mt. Pinatubo eruption in 1991.

Farming households in the four barangays of Botolan, Zambales took part in the study to get an overview of their present farming system where in soil and farm resources were assessed.  The soil was analyzed with the help of experts from the University of the Philippines National Institute of Geological Sciences (UP NIGS).

On-farm testing and pilot testing of the production of selected crops were conducted to evaluate and showcase their productivity.

The research team planted tomato, eggplant, sweet potato, green corn, soybean, and peanuts in two demo farms built within the four barangays of Botolan, Zambales. This was replicated in the other barangays in Castillejos and San Marcelino.

The researchers learned that the combined application of organic, inorganic and foliar fertilizer across locations and all kinds of crop produced better yield than the combined application of only organic and inorganic fertilizer.

Eggplant and soybean were also planted in pots of lahar soil and lahar soil where black sand was removed. It was found that the presence of black sand did not influence the performance of eggplant and soybean, and that yield increased when organic fertilizer application was increased.

The researchers identified potential crops and farming practices better suited to the areas including apt technologies.

Technology demonstration (techno-demo) farms were established to showcase the technology developed in Botolan for crop production. These farms were planted with various vegetables such as Diamante Max F1 Hybrid Tomato, Prolifica F1 Hybrid Eggplant, and F1 Hybrid Hot Pepper.

A total of 63 farmers and technicians from local government units (LGUs) were trained and a manual on crop production practices in ash-laded areas was developed to guide them.

The team also came up with two research papers already submitted for publication, and a 2-year off-shoot project was also approved starting this year, with P3 million funding assistance from the Department of Agriculture Regional Office III (DARFO3). This new project will focus on increasing the income of farms through promotion and adoption of

appropriate technologies.

DOST PCIEERD Executive Director Dr. Enrico Paringit sees the results of the project as a boost food security in the region especially with the scarcity of resources.

“We hope that this intervention can help our farmers in lahar-laden areas build back their lives better through innovations in agriculture.  We are optimistic that this can help our farmers provide food for their families and to the nation,” he said.

Paringit also enjoined industry players, agricultural groups, and other key stakeholders to engage with the council and help bring this technology to a wider populace.

“As leader and partner in enabling innovations, we hope that our industry players can help us reach more people.  We will be relentless in our pursuit of finding solutions and opportunities that can plant the seeds of innovation in our nation,” he said.

 

Pinoy Science TikTok Account (tiktok.com/@pinoyscience)

The first contest is through the #PinoyInnovator hashtag challenge which intends to show how creative and resourceful Filipinos are. Through this challenge, common household items will be creatively used to develop a nifty innovation. The winners of the challenge will be hailed as the “Pinoy Science Innovator 2021.” They will be announced in April 2021.

Another contest that will be launched is the #PinoyScience hashtag challenge which challenges TikTok users to explain the science behind DOST PCIEERD’s supported scientific projects.

The #PinoyScience hashtag challenge will run from April to July 2021. Three winners will be announced every month starting May 2021.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with the DOST PCIEERD to help promote awareness and understanding for science and innovation, as well as inspire the Filipino youth to discover their creativity and talents. Inspiring creativity and bringing joy is at the heart of what we do at TikTok,” said Kristoffer Rada, TikTok Head for Public Policy.

“TikTok is committed to helping facilitate education and learning in the Philippines. Through our #LearnOnTikTok series, we will be working with creators to produce more educational content on the platform,” he added.

Follow DOST-PCIEERD at tiktok.com/@pinoyscience. For inquiries on this partnership or request for collaborations, send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Watch the event livestream through: https://fb.watch/3fgsedJysD/.

Sample data from the research team: daily historical water levels for Angat Dam, covering a 20-year period from 2001 to 2020. Observations in blue denote the training set, green denote the test set.

Researchers from the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) are harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to help curb water shortages in the east service area of Metro Manila.

The research team, led by Dr. Christopher Monterola, under the AIM-Analytics, Computing, and Complex Systems Laboratory (ACCeSs), developed a simulation modeling software to enhance Manila Water Company's (MWC) capability in forecasting the water supply system of Angat-Ipo-La Mesa Dams and its treatment plants and storage reservoir.

“The forecast models will serve as a tool in day-to-day operations of the MWC for the enhanced distribution of water supply in the Manila East Zone to cater the needs of its consumers—household, business, and industries,” said Monterola.

The team shared that they integrated different statistical, machine learning models, and input parameters in the development of reliable forecast models from the water source to the MWC treatment plants.

 

They have already completed the development of forecasting models for each dam. Currently, the project team is continuously retraining and redesigning the simulation model software by adding more input parameters relevant to the improvement of their methodology and model architectures.

The team is proud to share that their modeling software can also be used to forecast the water supply of other dams in the Philippines, providing more opportunities for other agencies to get the benefit of this tool.

The AIM-ACCesS team, with MWC, started this project in February 2020 with support from the Department of Science and Technology’s Collaborative Research and Development to Leverage Philippine Economy (CRADLE) Program and monitoring efforts from DOST-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD).

“With much data that is already out there, it is high time that we maximize the power of emerging technologies like AI and machine learning to improve and affect the daily lives of Filipinos. AIM’s forecast modeling fulfills this by seamlessly providing apt agencies with helpful data as basis for decision and policy making on water supply to avoid shortages,” said DOST-PCIEERD Executive Director Dr. Enrico C. Paringit.